George H.W. Bush

Tuesday

Mar 14, 2017 at 2:18 PMMar 16, 2017 at 2:11 PM

Background/Early Life• George Bush grew up in a wealthy family that stressed giving back through public service. His father was an investment banker and later a U.S. senator from Connecticut.• Bush served in the Navy and was a pilot during World War II. At 19, he was the youngest pilot in the Navy. On one of his 58 combat missions his plane was shot down and he was rescued at sea.• Bush attended Yale University after the war and upon graduating moved to Texas, where he worked in the oil industry.• Bush entered politics by serving as a Republican Party chairman in Texas. After losing an election for a U.S. Senate seat, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1966.• Bush served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and as chairman of the Republican National Committee under Richard Nixon. When Gerald Ford became president he was named the U.S. envoy to the People’s Republic of China and then the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.• Bush ran for the Republican nomination for president in the 1980 election, but when it became clear Ronald Reagan was going to win he became the vice presidential nominee. Bush’s experience as vice president helped him win the presidency in the 1988 presidential election.How he defined the office• By winning the 1988 election, Bush became the first sitting vice president to win a presidential election since Martin Van Buren in 1836.• Bush was the first post-Cold War president, and he continued the work that had begun at the end of his vice presidency. He was involved in negotiations with the Soviet Union that saw both countries reduce their nuclear arsenals, as well as negotiations over a reunified Germany’s admittance into NATO.Successes and failures• Bush’s one term in office was dominated by foreign affairs. In addition to dealing with the repercussions from the end of the Cold War, the administration was involved in “Operation Just Cause,” where American troops were sent to Panama to remove Manuel Noriega from power. It resulted in Noriega’s arrest and conviction on drug charges. The U.S. sent troops to Somalia to help ease a humanitarian crisis and unsuccessfully tried to intervene in the conflicts resulting from the breakup of Yugoslavia. In 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, the United States announced “Operation Desert Shield,” and when the diplomatic approach failed to produce changes, “Operation Desert Storm,” involving air strikes and a ground war. The Persian Gulf War lasted less than two months and was a great success for President Bush.• Though his popularity soared after the Persian Gulf War, the slow economy and the fact that he raised taxes after promising not to do so led to his loss in the 1992 presidential election.

Notable Quote• After winning the Republican nomination for president in 1988: “Read my lips: No new taxes.”